Enter the standard number of hours a full-time employee works during a normal week.

The figure stored in this field will be used by the software when employees are added. The number of hours specified here will default in the Employees > Financials window but may be over-written if desired. The figure stored in the employee file is used in turn when the automatic time card feature is specified during the Set Payroll Cycle update.

Select to be able to set up multiple pay rates (two-digit alphanumeric) for each union code. This is especially useful if you use heavy equipment and must pay union scale wages depending on the type of equipment getting operated. In this case, there can be up to thirty different pay rates within the same union. The wage code can then be set up in the Equipment Maintenance page so that when that equipment is entered in the time card entry, the correct wage code will automatically default.

For each wage code there are also up to nine pay levels which can be used for the contractual year of the pay agreement and this pay level can be set up in the job file for automatic default. An additional feature allows you to set up the wage/union code combination in the Job Maintenance page so that the correct union code will also default from the job file during Time Card Entry.

All these default features are available when using the wage code system.

Select to use the pay group file to default the pay rate in Time Card Entry.

The rate from the pay group file may be modified using a percentage stored in the Employees page. This is particularly useful for apprentices who may less than the full rate for that pay group level.

Each pay group may also be set up with a default rate by employee, or by employee and job phase code.

Select this checkbox to enable standard cost functionality.

For more information about standard labor rates, refer to the Standard Costing in Payroll in-depth article.

Default equipment rate

Entry in this field affects how the equipment rate defaults when entering equipment lines during time card and pre-time card entry.

Default rates are set up in Equipment Control > Maintenance > Equipment File Maintenance or per job in Equipment Control > Maintenance > Job/Equipment Rates File Maintenance.

Select this checkbox to use the Nacha service class code 200 and balanced file format.

The service class code identifies the general classification of dollar entries to be exchanged. The three possible entries available in PPD transactions are 200 (mixed debit and credit transactions), 220 (credit only transactions), and 225 (debit only transactions). Primarily, 200 will be used. Check with your bank to verify what it requires for input.

If you select this checkbox and the employee's pay rate is higher than the base pay rate in the non-union pay group file, the prevailing wage adjustment is reduced by the 401(k) amount and the employer benefits (Health & Welfare) are increased. Furthermore, if the Adjust prevailing wage fringe checkbox is selected, this will reduce the fringe even more.

If you select this checkbox, an additional Is this computed as part of the D-B/Prevailing wage employer benefit checkbox will display in the Deduction / Add-on Maintenance > Add-ons tab for all non-cash add-ons. This prompt is not available for Health & Welfare or Prevailing Wage Adjustment codes.

To view an example that uses this checkbox, refer to the Example - Check Calculation for Davis-Bacon and Prevailing Wage Jobs page.

Select to always have the Employee's pay rate override the union rate or pay group during Pre-Time Card Entry and Time Card Entry.

This is used for union companies that pay certain senior employees or other employees pay rates that are different from union scale. However, they are still union employees and will be listed on the union reports and then union fringes still apply. For other union employees, you would enter a pay rate in Employees, then the union rates would default in Pre-Time Card Entry and Time Card Entry.

The system would look in the employee file first and the rate would be zero, so it would then look to the wage code or union file for the rate. This sets the default only when entering time card lines or using the automatic pay cycle; the pay rate can be overwritten during entry. If you select the non-union pay group option, the software looks first to Employees and default this rate if it is non-zero. If zero, the software defaults the pay rate based on the non-union pay group.

Appears only if the Default employee pay rate option is set to Higher of the two rates.

If this checkbox is selected and the employee pay rate is higher than the pay group, then the prevailing wage adjustment will be adjusted downward by the difference between these two rates.

Default overtime calculation method

Select to have the system calculate overtime for each given seven-day working period and then apply the weighted average across all timecard lines during the same time period in both Pre-Time Card and Time Card Auto Overtime.

How Spectrum determines the weighted average

• The weighted overtime average is equal to the sum of all pay for all work, divided by the total number of straight time hours worked during the workweek.
• Straight time hours are R (regular), ER (equipment regular), and unless you exclude it, SR (special regular).
• The workweek is the existing seven-day working period.